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Zack Morris
@_zackmorris

137,295 followers

I’ve changed my opinion a couple of times over the years on what the most effective strength training movements are for cyclists. When I was younger and a bit more intense I preferred the exercises where I could apply more absolute load ie; squats and deadlifts. I’d describe this mindset as thinking (this is the only way to get stronger, if you don’t push yourself every day, you’re not growing; lines in the sand of good and bad) Now, at 35 years old and lets say a high level hobbiest rider myself, I’m leaning towards movements where I can apply a challenging load in rep ranges of 4 to 6 reps, but in a more controlled fashion. I not only practice this myself, but I promote this to my athletes as well. Total control of the entirety of the movement. Think of a gymnast doing body weight exercises with smooth motions but precise and accurate strikes of swift strength in motion when needed. Okay, we may not be able to achieve the same level of peak force with this approach, but we certainly can break down the muscle extremely effectively this way, and still ensure activation of the type 2 fibers with some explosive plyometrics to finish off or begin a strength session. I think muscular strength is something that is very underestimated in cycling. It takes a lot of strength to produce anything over 400 watts on a bike. But at the same time, I’d say that the strength used to squat 200kg is not the same type of strength used to ride a high threshold, and the rate of transfer is not as effective, in my opinion. I’ve tried both approach’s, with myself and my athletes. I’d say that both can be productive and produce more power on a bike but the latter will lead to a more well balanced athlete on and off the bike. Remember, part of strength trainings purpose is to reduce or mitigate the risk of exercise induced injury. Ie: knee pain and back pain etc. #TeamEFCoaching #Strengthforcyclists #cycling